When a SEAL is found murdered on a training base, the NCIS team is sent to investigate. The murder weapon appears to be a specialized knife used largely by SEALS and when Callen suggests the killer may be a fellow SEAL, Sam defends them. Against Sam's protests, Callen asks that the victim's SEAL team be held back from their next mission: rescuing two Americans being held hostage on the border of Afghanistan-Pakistan border. It's a time sensitive mission and this team has previous experience in the region, making them the only choice to execute the rescue mission. Tempers run high as Callen tries to question members of the SEAL team. They also uncover evidence that the victim may have been selling secrets to the enemy. Sam gets one of the members to confess to injuring the SEAL in self-defense when they confronted him about being a traitor, but the death was ultimately the result of the victim's asthma. As they reach the go/no go point in the mission, Callen and More...Sam decide to release the team stating they found no evidence of a murder. They manage to rescue the hostages but with some casualties due to the fact their mission had been compromised by the traitor...